1. Technical Field
This invention relates to fishing accessories and, more particularly, to a floating apparatus for supporting fishing accessories and other objects above water level.
2. Prior Art
It is quite common for fishermen to wade in shallow waters while fishing. A typical example is wade fishing in the shallow water areas along the U.S. Gulf Coast. There, the bottom slopes gently from the shoreline to permit a wade fisherman to walk quite a distance out into the water. This is also commonly done in many other areas and regions, limited primarily by water temperature, dangerous currents, and steepness of the bottom extending from the shoreline.
The paraphernalia required for fishing is as simple or as complex as one might wish. Realistically, however, wade fishing practically always requires at least some spare fishing gear such as additional lures, etc. to make a change or to replace those otherwise lost.
Another factor required for practically any fisherman is available bait. While it is possible to fish with artificial lures, it is desirable to fish with live bait and in particular with live minnows, shrimp, etc. It is not otherwise possible to carry bait in the water except in some kind of bait bucket. At this juncture, the bait bucket becomes unwieldy. It must be drug or otherwise rested on the bottom. Ordinarily, it must be submerged to some extent to provide continual water interchange to keep the bait alive. In any event, the equipment essential for operation of a wading fisherman is unwieldy and involves many different things.
Additional fishing tackle is limited to only that which the wading fisherman can put in his pocket or perhaps hang from loops on a belt. Often, a stringer for newly caught fish must also be included. All of these entanglements add to the complexity, and thereby inhibit fishing while wading.
Accordingly, a need remains for a floating apparatus for supporting fishing accessories and the like.